Introducing the Gibblets
by Dixie Dewdrop
Summary: Injured on the job, Gibbs has a chance to reflect upon his team, the same team Ducky has suggested is his family. He assures the good doctor that he would have brought the members up with a different parental approach. This is part of my Here and Now series. Warning: Spanking
1. Family

Family

Ducky refused to budge. "Really, Jethro, the argument does not exist except in your imagination. Either you allow me to accompany you home, where I will administer a strong painkiller, and you agree to taking tomorrow off from the agency, or I will refuse to sign off on your medical form and your only option will be admission to Bethesda. Complain about invasions of privacy and your medical background all you want, but it will not change the outcome."

Pacing with obvious annoyance from one vacant autopsy table to another, Special Agent Jethro Gibbs scowled and opened his mouth to respond.

Dr. Mallard held up a hand. "I refuse to listen. Now, I have things to do. Make up your mind, Jethro. Others await my attention."

Dr. Mallard spread his arms to take in the expanse of the autopsy area.

Gibbs stopped so abruptly that he ran into the corner of the x ray machine, eliciting a strangled curse with the groan.

He snatched his right arm protectively against him and recalled the origin of the injury. A couple of hours earlier when he and Dinozzo chased a commander accused of theft from the military, the man had yanked out a knife when he realized they had him cornered. Striking out with rage, he managed to slash Gibbs almost the entire length of his forearm before Tony tackled him.

This, then, comprised the basis of Dr. Donald Mallard's argument. Having enlisted the NCIS agency's Director as an ally, he offered Jethro two options, devoid of any possible wiggle room.

Sensing triumph, Ducky snapped his fingers. "Get with it, Man! We do not have all day."

Gibbs replied with ill grace. "All right, I'll head home, but give me half an hour here to give instructions to my Team."

Victorious, Ducky agreed, his voice softening. "You will find me sitting in your living room when you arrive."

Rolling his eyes, Jethro Gibbs stalked out of Autopsy and banged the button to summon the elevator.

It was an hour later, though, before Ducky let himself into his friend's house. Gibbs had changed into well worn jeans and a tee shirt, knowing that Ducky would examine the wound again. The good doctor did, tutting at the danger implicit in Jethro's life.

After rebandaging he produced a vial of painkillers and pointed out the directions. Having quite a history with the special agent he assured him that he would know if the dosage had been skipped, and as a consequence, Ducky would add to the days of medical rest.

Gibbs shook his head in frustration.

"Pay attention," Ducky continued, moderating his tone. "I am going to give you an injection now, but show me where you plan to rest, Jethro, because it will get you very sleepy."

Gibbs pointed to the worn sofa, the furniture focus and staple of the living room.

"Fine," Ducky began sterilizing the skin on Jethro's upper arm. "and you have nothing to worry about. Go sit down right now."

"Yeah, Duck, that is easy for you to say," Gibbs grumbled as he settled himself on the couch. Moving a blanket and pillow from the end of the sofa to his side he added, "I have left my team, however."

Ducky eyed the marks on the syringe as he extracted the pain killer from the vial. "Calm, Jethro. For all intents and purposes, they could be your own children. You've invested enough of yourself in them, after all."

"I doubt that, Duck." Gibbs punched the pillow into a mound, then slid it behind his back.

Ducky did not comment further until he finished administering the injection. Standing up he bent down to whisper conspiratorially, "I see your chromosomes running through all four of them."

Gibbs could not resist a grin at that observation. "Hmmm…. I would have liked to get my hands on them years earlier, then they would not act like juvenile delinquents when they enter the NCIS bullpen."

Ducky laughed. "Indeed, I am sure you would have run a tight ship. Anyway, I will come check you in the morning before I go to the Agency."

Jethro leaned back against the pillow, pulled the blanket over him, and closed his eyes. A sudden sensation of wooziness washed over him. "I appreciate your blackmail tactics there, Duck."

_**Dr. Mallard, however, had already shut the door and walked down the front walk to his vintage Morgan, parked against the curb in front of Jethro's house.**_

Gunny Gibbs knew he had been pinned down, and scrambled to get his mind analyzing his options while forcing his body to remain motionless. His survival depended upon taking the enemy by surprise, when they thought they had bested him. He did not want to give away the fact that he was conscious.

A pain began and quickly increased in his shoulder to the point that he almost gasped, however. He had to get out from under them before they immobilized him, but needed to get an idea of how many he faced.

Small peripheral noises began to register.

"Check under his eye and see if he escaped some way," came a whispered suggestion.

Something slamming against his knees accompanied the advice.

Involuntarily, he sucked in his breath.

"Talk in his ear, then," came the next order, a bit louder.

Something about that instruction and voice penetrated Jethro's guard and his eyes flew open.

Regarding him solemnly in the darkened room he discovered all four of his children, Tony, Kate, Tim, and Abby.

Tony's eyebrows shot up when his green eyes met his father's wide awake blue ones, while little Abby jumped back against the extra pillow and marvelled, "It moved!"

Resigned, he slowly extricated himself from under Kate, who lay across his chest and had her hand poised to check under his eyelids once again.

Sliding her to his side, he supported himself against the headboard and licked his lips before asking quietly, "What time is it?"

"Zero three hundred, Daddy," Tim answered at once, turning loose of his father's knee. Dressed in Teddy Ruxpin pajamas, he nodded conspiratorially at his dad, his blond hair sticking up in the back..

Gibbs pinched the bridge of his nose and willed himself to show restraint with his four children, aged eight, seven, six, and five.

At the time, it had seemed a good idea to just have the progeny spaced like stair steps.

Now, however, it appeared to have been a mistake.

He sighed dramatically and struggled to sit up against his headboard. "Why are all of you out of bed?"

In her little pink nightgown Abby, his five year old, scooted so that she could put one tiny foot inches from his face. "Look, Daddy," she instructed, frowning, "I hurt the little piggy toe."

Automatically he leaned down and kissed it, then pulled her partways onto his lap. She snuggled happily against him as she held her foot back up for a self inspection, popping her thumb into her mouth as she did.

"Let me try this another time," he spoke, focusing upon his oldest, Tony, and seven year old, Kate. "I put everyone to bed some time ago, and that is where you should still be- asleep. Did anybody have a bad dream?"

With that query the entire family turned to look at Tim, the six year old.

"Tim?" he prodded, wiping his mouth.

Tim scratched his knee. "Daddy, no, I did not get scared tonight."

"He didn't pee on the bed either," Tony added helpfully, narrowing his eyes at his brother and rolling onto his back.

"Why are we here then?" Gibbs continued.

"Can we get a dog?" Kate, taking it upon herself to be the spokesperson, asked. She crawled on top of him, moving carefully, and sat settled against his left side.

Abby had commandeered his right side, though she had her head by his knee and her legs on his chest. She had stopped scrutinizing her toe, but watched him steadily as she continued to suck her thumb.

Jethro assessed his situation, looking over his children critically. Tony grinned back, gaps still in place where baby teeth had been lost. Stunningly good looking and the daredevil of them all, he took his role of big brother and oldest child seriously.

Kate, his Katie, sat straight, her posture perfect in her yellow nightie. She possessed poise and confidence, and often surpassed her older brother with her maturity.

Tim began to squirm and looked decidedly uncomfortable. His father ordered softly, "Hey, go use the bathroom right now, Big Boy."

The little fellow obeyed at once, and Gibbs watched him go. He told people Tim was the easiest child to raise, and he meant it. Tim had a good nature, and rarely ever got into trouble. He had the science and math leaning that his older brother and sister lacked, and Gibbs thought he might grow up and choose engineering.

Though all of his children had been born blond, the other three had hair which had darkened as they grew. Tim's hair remained the lightest, and it looked as if the shade might settle as a dark blond or light brown.

Last he turned to regard Abby, his baby girl. She oozed charm and personality, and like Timmy, gave him little real trouble. She was a girlie girl, more so than Kate. She grinned at him, her smile framing her thumb.

Gibbs leaned over Kate to view the bedside clock. She took the opportunity to wrap her arms around him and give him a kiss.

As Tim had assured him, it was indeed after three.

The little boy noticed his father regarding the time as he returned from the bathroom. "You don't usually get up at oh three hundred, Daddy," he noted in sympathy.

"I know," Gibbs muttered.

Tim climbed back into the bed and yawned widely before carefully making a place to snuggle beside Abby. Kate slid down and Gibbs realized that it would be easier to let all of them go back to sleep in his bed than to corral them all and put them individually back in their own beds.

Sighing, he slid down himself, holding the covers up so that Abby could change positions and snuggle like Tim.

When he finally got himself settled into a semblance of comfort, Tony crawled on top of him, effectively pinning him to the mattress. Tony got himself comfortable as well by lying right on top of his father. He nuzzled into Jethro's shoulder.

Though all boy, Tony had inherited an affectionate, cuddly streak.

"All of you close your eyes," he ordered softly, and though he could not see that closely in the dark, he knew that they obeyed him.


	2. Public Behavior

Public Behavior

A week after the early morning wake up call he pulled in front of the grocery store and parked carefully. Turning to regard the car's passengers, he warned in his no nonsense voice that he expected excellent behavior inside the store.

They hurried out of the car en mass, jockeying for positions as the first through the automatic doors.

Kate and Tony immediately campaigned to be allowed to leave their father's side, even if only to stay half an aisle ahead. Abby and Tim, however, began a spirited argument over who got to sit in the coveted child seat of the shopping cart.

Abby's eyes narrowed and she shot a venomous stare at her brother. "I am sitting in the seat!"

"Daddy, Abby sat there the last time we got groceries," his little boy assured him seriously.

Gibbs regarded him. Tim was always serious.

"Your turn, then," he replied, taking Tim's word and swinging him off of the floor and into the seat. The little boy smiled with delight.

Abby crossed her arms defiantly and refused to move when Jethro began to wheel the cart.

He stopped and regarded her, noticing in his appraisal that her pigtails were a bit skewed. He would have to learn how to do a better job with them, since these days this was the only way she wanted her hair fixed.

Leaning down he spoke softly, brushing back her bangs, "Hurry, now Baby. Daddy has to get us home after this."

Kate skipped to her little sister's side and pulled Abby by the arm. "Come on, Abby-"

Her baby sister slapped at her hand angrily. "Quit and leave me alone!"

Gibbs gently moved his oldest daughter back towards where Tony stood at the end of the cart. "Thank you, Honey, and why don't you and Tony go ahead and walk down there to where those cans of soup are stacked? I am thinking of tomato soup and grilled cheese sandwiches for tonight."

She and Tony needed no further prodding.

Gibbs raised his eyebrows and tipped Abby's chin up so that she faced him. "Start behaving immediately, Abby, or I am going to take you back to the car and spank your bottom. It is not your turn to sit in the seat."

Abby's eyes filled, and she swung her body from side to side, making the clown appliqued on her dress swing with each turn.

He felt his heart begin to melt. She knew how to garner sympathy from him.

Nevertheless, he kept his expression stern and unyielding. "Keep your hand on the side of this cart, young lady."

He began wheeling the buggy and she laced her fingers within the metal framework and walked along side. By the time they met up with her sister and brother she had recovered her sunny nature and begged to help gather items.

While he examined the pros and cons of two different brands of peanut butter Tony and Kate seized the moment and rounded the corner into the next aisle. Free from their father's gaze they regarded each other with delight, and Kate giggled while Tony laughed loudly. Not willing to waste a moment of their unforeseen good fortune, both children took a running start, then slid the length of the passage. They came to a gleeful stop, and managed to get themselves standing in the nick of time.

Gibbs rounded the corner, Tim in the basket and Abby hanging on to the side, and regarded his two oldest with suspicion. He narrowed his eyes in assessment. They had done something, he had no doubt, but since it did not involve crashing canned goods or mowing down other shoppers, he would not use his time to investigate.

Grocery shopping was the priority.

He had learned to pick his battles.

That his children amazed him was an understatement.

Rambunctious always came to mind first when outsiders asked him to describe them.

The four tended to band together, but their groupings depended upon the day and the surroundings. Tony and Abby often joined forces, or sometimes Tim and Abby. Then again, Kate and Tony plotted a good amount of time, and Kate and Tim sometimes conspired together. Last, but not least, the boys stuck together while the girls schemed.

Gibbs shook his head to clear it. This was not the time to contemplate which of his children currently collaborated upon something naughty.

He had to concentrate on ingredients for meals.

Tim eagerly pointed to a box of breakfast cereal and tried to grab it as Jethro wheeled him. "Daddy, look! Those are cotton candy flakes, and I want some."

"No," Gibbs did not bother to pause his movements, and ignored Tim's immediate frown and words of protest.

In the cookie aisle Tony grabbed a package and tried to slip it in the basket.

Gibbs, savvy to the deception, cleared his throat. "Absolutely not-"

Tony scowled.

In the shampoo section Kate insisted that the family could use the rose blossom conditioner she discovered, and Abby added her voice and grabbed the matching shampoo.

"Let's get this, Daddy!"

"Put it back," their father ordered, positive that he would have a battle on his hands should Tony be expected to indulge in the shampoo. Just getting all four of them bathed and ready for bed proved an exhausting task, and he did not want to open up an area of contention.

By the time he paid and they loaded the groceries, all of the children were miffed, having come away from the grocery with none of their own selections.

They regarded each other with mutinous looks.

Their father had cheated them, once again, of goodies and fun items, choosing instead to take home boring selections.

Once they were safely buckled he cranked the car and announced that their next stop would be the neighborhood park, where they could play for a couple of hours.

Their moods improved instantly, and they silently dismissed their father's grocery transgression. After a stop for a fast food lunch they spilled out of the car and raced each other to the play equipment.

Gibbs settled on a bench with a view of the entire play area. He sighed with contentment and relaxed, glad to have a chance to watch his kids just have fun. Too often he funneled his energy into the myriad details that kept his children fed, clothed, nurtured, and schooled, and found himself too exhausted to study and enjoy the little beautiful beings.

Not quite a week after the grocery trip Gibbs had just returned to his agency desk following a hurried coffee/ lunch run, when the phone shrilled. He grabbed it and muttered a greeting, then straightened when he discovered the nurse from Tony's elementary school on the other end.

He braced himself, having eight years of experience in the mind and body workings of his oldest child.

Sure enough, the concerned nurse needed to alert him that Tony had suffered an injury on the playground, and she feared it had resulted in a broken arm.


	3. Tony

Tony

Gibbs instantly pivoted and beelined to the elevator, and ten minutes later he entered the elementary school's office.

This school educated all four of his progeny, and Gibbs liked all of their teachers, the curriculum, and the administration. Plus, it was near by the house, a real neighborhood school.

Little Tony sat at the receptionist's desk, legs swinging, and evidently his dad had interrupted his regaling the woman with a funny story. She was laughing loudly, and looked almost irritated at the loss of her comic relief when Gibbs interrupted them.

His oldest son had a penchant for charming females, so much so that even as a toddler complete female strangers would reverse directions to regard the child. Anthony, of course, took great advantage of that fact.

Tony grinned when he identified the school visitor, and slid carefully out of the seat.

Once again his father was taken aback by his child's good looks.

Tony winked at the receptionist, then approached his father.

Gibbs studied him quickly, his heart racing a bit. He saw that the nurse had immobilized his left arm as well as she could with a sling.

Tony's lack of fear and willingness to take extraordinary risks worried him on a daily basis, and seeing his baby injured really put him on edge.

Tony wrapped his good arm around his dad's leg, secure now that his father had appeared.

Jethro kissed the little fellow on top of the head, grabbed his child's bookbag, then put an arm around his shoulder to guide him as they walked out to the car.

Gibbs leaned inside the vehicle to buckle Tony into the passenger seat and the little boy grimaced.

"Sorry, Son, I did not mean to bump you."

"I know, Daddy." Though he smiled, Gibbs saw that the beginnings of tears had formed. It must have hurt to have elicited tears, because Tony rarely cried.

Gibbs glanced worriedly at him several times during the trip. Tony had gotten quiet, and his father could see that he no longer attempted to put on a happy face, as he had at school. No, now that his daddy had come to take care of him, he did not have to hide his tears any more.

Jethro took one hand and put it behind Tony's head, then gently smoothed his hair. Tony instantly leaned his head back against the seat, trapping the calloused palm to assure himself that his father kept his hand there.

The Agent drove straight back to NCIS, parked, and hurried his wounded offspring through the familiar steel doors into Autopsy.

Ducky abruptly stopped his examination of an unlucky petty officer when he recognized his guests. Shaking his head in resignation, he stripped off his gloves and pointed to the back of the room, where an empty autopsy table stood.

"What is it this time, young Anthony?" he queried, watching as Jethro lifted Tony onto the table and settled him, then gently brushed back the child's bangs. "Just last month I put stitches in your leg, if I recall."

He adjusted his glasses and began unsnapping the child's sling.

Tony bit his lip.

"Should I try guessing?" Ducky smiled encouragingly, and put up a finger to silence Gibbs when the father started to speak. "No, Jethro, let him tell me. I want to hear what happened from the wounded warrior."

Jethro may have ruled the upper floor of the naval agency, but on this floor, Dr. Mallard reigned as king. He acknowledged his obedience with a curt nod, then silently began maneuvering the little boy's shirt off of him.

"Playing basketball, Ducky, at recess- that's how I hurt my arm. The fifth graders said for me to come over to where they were because they wanted me on their team."

"I thought you were fifth form," Ducky teased, running his hands expertly over Tony's ribs.

"Ducky!" Tony giggled. "I'm third grade, I keep telling you that."

"Hmmm…" the doctor conceded, "What happened after they called you to come?"

"I scored eight points!" Tony announced, then addressing Jethro, added proudly, "and I was the only one who scored, Daddy!"

Gibbs could not resist taking that adorable face, lit up with pride, between his strong hands and giving the athlete a soft kiss on the top of his head.

"Good job, Big Boy-"

"So," Tony continued, "Renaco jumped up to block me and lost his balance. He fell onto me, and I fell onto the court on my arm."

"My, my," Ducky responded, his fingers moving expertly over Tony's ribs and spine, then up and down the injured arm.

"It was an accident, though, and Renaco felt really bad. Plus, the fourth grade teacher said third grade and fifth grade had no business playing with each other, but my teacher said this probably showed us why."

Gibbs opened his mouth to get more detail pinpointing whether Tony was in trouble at school, but Ducky shot him an impatient glare.

He moved back instead, retreating, and reconciled to Ducky's agenda.

The medical examiner patted Tony on the leg. "All right, I can tell you the good news, young man, and that is that you do not have a broken arm."

Tony sat up straight and grinned widely, exposing all of the gaps in his teeth.

"However," the doctor continued, "you have a nasty sprain."

Tony looked from his doctor to his dad, then down at the wounded arm.

"Now, tomorrow is Friday and I do not want you to return to school. The last thing you need is further wear and tear, and this needs time to heal. I do not want to hear of you going outside to play, Anthony, not this weekend," Dr. Mallard admonished. "Am I understood?"

It took a second for the child to understand the implications. He looked crushed and his bottom lip wobbled. "Please? Please, Ducky."

"Absolutely not- I mean this now. Your arm has sustained some damage, and it must have time to recover." In matters of medical care and urgency, the good doctor could not be bribed, even with one of the magic words.

Little Tony lived for his play time, and the weekends found him outdoors as many hours as his father would allow. The physical restriction Ducky mandated just crushed him.

Not his sprained arm, but the stripping of his weekend fun proved the little fellow's breaking point. He rubbed roughly at his eyes and then held out his hand to beckon his father before bursting into tears.

Gibbs hurried to him and picked him up, murmuring soothing words to calm him. Tony wrapped his legs around his daddy and held on with his good arm around his father's neck, his hurt erupting in heartbroken sobs.

Gibbs walked slowly back and forth, whispering and swaying slightly while his baby's tears drenched the front of his shirt. He spoke soothingly, interspersing the words with gentle kisses to Tony's bowed head.

When the sobs finally slowed, then turned to shuddery breaths, he grabbed a tissue off of Ducky's desk.

"Hey," he ordered softly, pressing the folded tissue against his nose. "Blow your nose for Daddy."

Tony obeyed, and then rested his head against his father's shoulder while Jethro continued to hold him.

Finally, Dr. Mallard interrupted, his voice laced with sympathy.

"Get this prescription filled on your way home, Jethro. He will need a painkiller as soon as you get him inside the house. Keep him quiet the rest of the weekend, and call me if you need me to check him."

"Thank you, Duck." Gibbs started out of Autopsy, Tony astride his hip. He tapped Tony under the chin.

The little boy understood. Straightening, he picked his head up and spoke with a shaky voice, "Thank you, Ducky."

Ducky smiled. "You are more than welcome, my Young Friend."


	4. Daddy

Daddy

Once they had settled themselves again in the car and Gibbs maneuvered into traffic, he regarded Tony with a grin. "How about a pizza for lunch?"

Tony's reaction was so joyful and immediate that his father laughed out loud as he reached over to tousle his boy's hair.

Half an hour later father and son sat right in the middle of their favorite Italian restaurant, a little mom and pop café with just ten tables.

Gibbs watched his child bask in his status as an injured charmer, and shook his head in resignation as Tony preened for his admirers.

This place, Luigi's, had been a staple family eatery for years. Though all of the kids liked it, Tony gleefully anticipated each and every visit, having progressed to the status of the cafés favorite diner, as the owners reassured him again and again. They catered to him- plied him with new tastes they thought he would appreciate, and consequently, had created an Italian entrée savant in the boy.

Tony batted his lashes as yet another tantalizing dish found its way in front of him, and smirked at his father's look of incredulity.

He had used his injury to his advantage.

Luigi's wife, Sophia, kissed both his cheeks and ordered him to eat because she had cooked the pasta dish solely for him.

Gibbs, as usual, sufficed on the leftovers at the table.

He shook his head in resignation and stood up to use the phone. The babysitter he employed when there arose a need for all day child care, Mrs. Mullens, was matronly and good with the children.

Unfortunately, she could not keep Tony the next day, having to leave that very afternoon for an out of town funeral.

Resigned to the evident, Gibbs called NCIS and arranged a day at home. He had no alternate sitters.

He rubbed the bridge of his nose and then focused on Tony.

It had been quite a while since the two of them had spent any real time alone.

He shared the change of plans.

Tony delighted at the news, and quickly began planning their itinerary for the next day. Gibbs listened to the bubbling voice as he drove them home, and even as he got them into the house. He sent Tony up to brush his teeth and use the bathroom while he readied the dosage of painkiller Ducky had ordered.

When Tony returned he gave him the medicine with a glass of water, then acquiesced with the child's plea that he join him on the sofa to watch television.

Flipping through the channel offerings, Tony settled on _Magnum, _then hurried back to the couch to sit beside his father.

Within five minutes he leaned against Jethro, eyes beginning to close, and a few minutes later, crawled into his father's lap.

Gibbs stroked his hair as he fell asleep_, _then softly slid out from under him. He covered him gently with the plush throw he kept on the couch.

Making use of a quiet house Jethro took care of several chores, and even managed to work in a couple of business calls.

He paid a woman to come part time to clean the house, and she took care of some of the heavier chores.

Nevertheless, there was always something that needed to be done with four children at home.

Tony woke about the time the school bus pulled up to the street. Gibbs walked to the edge of the yard to greet his children, something he did every day. It was such a little act, and yet it meant so much to him, and to them, as well.

Abby skipped her way down the sidewalk, calling out to him, and he leaned down and caught her in his arms. She had a fistful of papers in her hand and grabbed his chin, turning him to face her.

"Daddy, look, we need to discuss my important papers."

"Ok," he agreed, and kissed the top of her head.

Kate's pace reflected her nature, poised, sedate, and careful, and in a flash he envisioned the woman she would become. A lump came into his throat, and sliding Abby to one hip, he leaned down and kissed his older daughter's cheek.

"Did you have a good day, beautiful girl?"

She smiled and nodded, then moved past him and entered the house.

Timmy appeared last, rounding the corner awkwardly as he balanced a stack of books in his arms. Gibbs could just see the top of his blond head.

Glimpsing his father he called worriedly, "Daddy, Daddy, I think I am about to topple!"

Jethro hurried to him, put his daughter down and told her to go inside, then took the stack of books from his boy.

Tim eyed him gratefully, and Gibbs leaned down and kissed his nose. "What have you got here, Son?"

Placing an arm around his child's shoulders he led him into the house as Tim explained in an excited voice. "The lady in the library showed me these books, Daddy, encyclopedias of how things work. I found one on the solar system, one on the weather, one on engines, and another on cameras."

Gibbs paused and regarded him with a sideways glance. "Have you already started reading one of them?"

"On the bus, Daddy, I began the solar system one on the bus but then Abby kept trying to take it from me because I didn't want to talk to her. She was not being nice at all. She was mad."

Inside he gave them snacks and some play time to unwind.

They made a beeline for Tony, curious and sympathetic, but not shocked that their daredevil had gotten wounded.

Gibbs allotted them a free half hour before he ordered homework time. Tony gloated over the fact that he had none, but then offered to help call out Tim's spelling words.

Gibbs prepared supper while supervising Kate's math homework, then Abby's story reading, and finally, Tim's drawing of a seed evolving into a plant.

Immediately after the meal he began bath time, which always went from youngest to oldest. These days he did not have to supervise as vigilantly, and that gave him a little time to do other chores.

He ordered all of them to collect their folded laundry, then their hanging clothes, and put them away.

Abby managed to lather soap in her eyes and screamed for him to come, and he adroitly held her slippery body as he rinsed her eyes. Finally better, and rinsed, he lifted her from the tub and dried her, waited as she put on her favorite nightie with baby ducks on it, and gently brushed her hair.


	5. Private Behavior

Private Behavior

Tim's bath followed, and he called worriedly for his dad to come to him. Gibbs did, hurrying from downstairs, and found the little fellow standing in the tub as it filled, holding out a plastic bottle of foaming bath bubbles. "Is it a night when I can make bubbles?"

Gibbs nodded and felt his eyes actually fill. His other children would have dumped half of the bottle's contents into the water without asking. Then, quite honestly, they would have claimed innocent confusion had he fussed at them.

Tim, though, had been born to do things right, and Jethro stood for a moment leaning against the doorframe and watching the little fellow delight in the suds. He covered his chin and lip with the mounds of bubbles and grinned gleefully, "Look, Daddy, I have a beard now!"

Normally self sufficient, tonight Kate needed his help to rinse the shampoo from her hair, but otherwise, bathed and got into her nightgown by herself.

It embarrassed Tony that he required Jethro's services at all. He took great pride in his role as the oldest, the first to experience everything, and the first to outgrow everything. Gibbs ended up staying in the bathroom and bathing Tony himself, working carefully to not hurt the injured arm. At last, though, Tony sat, pajamed and with his brothers and sisters, watching television.

That left Gibbs a few minutes to himself to take care of some other chores before bedtime beckoned, and the process began all over again.

Abby started whining the second he beckoned her, and when that failed to move him, worked herself into some genuine tears. He sent her to use the restroom anyway, then tucked her into bed and settled beside her, listening to her prayers before reading her one of her favorite books. She fell asleep before he got to the third page, thumb jammed in her mouth, and he kissed her softly, cut off the light, and left the room she shared with Kate.

Tim caught his eye as Gibbs returned to the living room and motioned him with concern. "No, Daddy, look at the clock. I still have fifteen minutes before I go to bed," he announced solemnly.

Gibbs mentally kicked himself for acquiescing when the boy had asked his dad to teach him how to tell time a couple of months before.

"You are right," he conceded with a nod.

Tony smiled at Tim's logic and praised him, "Way to go, Timmy Boy. Nice move on Dad there."

Tim beamed at his older brother's words, basking in the praise.

At exactly the correct bedtime Tim wandered from the living room to locate his father, who was standing in the kitchen going through a sheaf of mail.

"It's my bedtime," he announced, and Gibbs looked up with a start, confirming the time with a quick look at the kitchen clock.

"Ok, then, let's head up to your room."

Tim grabbed his hand and the same process that Jethro had used with Abby repeated itself, except that Tim withstood sleep until nearly the last page.

By the time he returned to the downstairs Kate and Tony had changed television channels, and sat engrossed in the plot of an hour long show.

Gibbs stuck his head in and cautioned, "Katie, now your bedtime is in thirty minutes, whether that show is over or not."

She scowled in reply and turned back to the tv.

It was not often that Kate deliberately provoked her father, but she managed to do so that evening.

He called for her three separate times for bed, and she ignored each one. Finally he strode back into the living room where she and Tony sprawled over the sofa. He pulled her off her perch and put her on her feet, then turned her towards the stairs, "Bedtime, now, so get moving."

"You don't have to keep saying the same thing," she backtalked, stomping towards the stairs.

Tony's eyes widened and he swiveled to look between his father and his sister.

Gibbs reached out and yanked Kate to him, then delivered a sharp smack to her bottom. "Do not ever talk to me in that way again, Young Lady!"

She reached back to protect her bottom, but did not respond. He pushed her away from him to scrutinize her face. She still scowled, and had the beginnings of tears lining her lashes.

"You had better take care of that attitude and scowl right now, or I am going to put you over my lap for a spanking, young lady."

Tony called out a warning, "Kate, straighten-"

Sensing her danger, she nodded quickly, then grabbed Jethro's hand and pulled him towards the steps. "I don't want a spanking, Daddy. I am sorry."

A few minutes later he closed her book and cut off the bedside lamp. He tiptoed to the door, glancing over at Abby, who lay sprawled across the bed with her doll clutched beside her.

He gave Tony the bedtime dosage of medicine and then took him up to bed over his protests. Once upstairs, however, Tony wanted him to read from a book of sports heroes he had gotten for Christmas and Gibbs did, reading softly so as to not wake Tim, sleeping soundly a few feet away. He did not get the story started well before Tony's eyes closed, no doubt a result of the painkiller.

Gibbs rolled his shoulders and tried to unkink his neck as he made his way back down the stairs.

Abby's stuffed hippopotamus stared at him, shoved as it was between the stair rails of the third step. He leaned down to free it and then stopped and tiredly settled himself on the step. He pulled the toy out from the wooden bars and examined it, marveling at the extent she loved it.

Ugly did not do it justice, and he still could not fathom why Abby adored it so. The only thing going for it was its soft, plush material.

She had gotten it the year before, on a day in which she and her daddy had spent several wonderful hours alone together. Ducky had taken the older children to a show but had not extended the invitation to Abby. Despite Ducky's explanation, combined with Jethro's own that the event clearly invited only kindergarten through fourth grade students, not four year old preschoolers, she cried and pouted as she watched her siblings get ready and then leave.

Attempting to work while Abby clung to his right leg, whining, crying, and with hurt feelings proved tortuous. He admitted defeat.

Jethro rearranged the day's plans and he and Abby headed to the park on the other side of D. C., which contained an old fashioned carousel. They rode it four times, and three times Abby sat with her daddy, but the last time she rode her horse alone, while Jethro stood right by her side.


	6. Sisters

Sisters

They ate popcorn and cotton candy, and on the way out, passed a vendor selling a different caliber of stuffed animals. The second Abby saw the hippopotamus she begged for it, and the vendor smirked, realizing that Jethro could not hold out against his baby's impassioned pleas.

Gibbs bought it, thought he could not get a reasonable explanation of her fascination.

"Why did you get him, Honey?"

"He's pretty," she smiled, planting a kiss on the ugly toy's nose.

"I thought you might want a cute little kitten, or that spotted puppy the man had."

She grabbed his hand and clutched the animal in her other arm. "No, I love Bert."

"What's Bert?" They reached the car and Jethro began to dig the keys from his pocket.

"Bert's a he, Daddy, this is Bert." She held the hippo up as far as she could reach.

He swung her up and into her car seat, buckled her, then kissed her nose as he scooted off the car cushion.

"No!" she demanded. "Bert wants a kiss, too. See?" With that she squeezed the monstrosity and an explosion of sound followed. That pleased his little girl, and Abby rubbed her face against the grey material. "Kiss him, Daddy."

Gibbs did, and tried to appear thrilled to do so.

Once the older kids got home and met the creature Tim informed him that Bert was named after the Bert and Ernie from _Sesame Street._

From that day, he was one of Abby's all time favorite playthings.

Jethro set Bert back down on the step and made his way to the kitchen and yet another cup of coffee.

The next day in household Gibbs proved an exceptionally good one for Jethro and his eldest son. Gibbs decided to take advantage of Tony's only- child- for- the- day status and genuinely enjoy their alone time. Together they watched a succession of older movies on Turner's classic network, debating the pros and cons of each. They feasted on popcorn and played a couple of board games, and he smiled regretfully when they heard the school bus begin its journey down their residential street.

Tony bestowed a beautiful smile upon his father.

Jethro stood transported in time, remembering himself opening the door to the nursery- seven month old Tony's nursery- to find his baby boy standing at the rails attempting to climb over the top. The second he saw Jethro he threw out his arms and beckoned with a sweet, toothless, absolutely heartbreakingly beautiful smile.

Tony snapped him back into the present. "Dad, thanks a whole lot for staying with me today. I had fun with just you."

Gibbs leaned over and kissed the top of his son's head. "I did, too- a whole bunch of fun."

Two weeks later the children spent Saturday morning watching cartoons before Gibbs cut off the television and sent them to complete their chores.

He expected the older two to do more than the younger two, of course, and Kate found this unacceptable. It did not matter how often he explained the concept to her, she refused to see anything other than Tim and Abby assigned light duties.

Voicing her complaints bitterly at lunch, Tony interrupted her to reason. "Look, you know Abby's still a baby, and Timmy can barely lift anything."

Tim tried to defend himself, sputtering a response. "I can, too! I picked up my…"

Tony cut him off, "Whatever, but the point is you have got to get tougher or kids will keep picking on you."

Gibbs zoned in at that observation. "Did someone pick on you?"

Abby put down her milk glass with a bang and hurried to contribute. "Somebody did, Daddy, Michael did, and Sean did."

Gibbs turned to the little boy. "What did they say?"

"They didn't say, they did," Kate explained.

"Did what?"

"Sean called him names on the playground, like "nerd" and "geek", and Michael messed with him on the bus."

Gibbs stood up and crossed to Tim's chair. "Ok, I will take care of this Monday. I'll have both those boys brought to the principal's office."

Tim looked worried, "It's okay now, Daddy." He squirmed in his chair and looked at his brother for assistance.

Gibbs contradicted, "It most certainly is not. I will not allow boys bigger than you to threaten you- ever. What grades are those two?"

Kate contributed, "Michael's in Tony's grade and Sean's in the one ahead of Tony."

That infuriated Jethro, and he could barely control his anger. "You mean that kids two and three school grades ahead of you have harassed you, Tim? Why have you not told me anything about this?"

The little fellow looked down at the table and did not respond. His lip began to wobble.

Abby slid out of her booster seat and wrapped her arm around her father's knees. She had put on her favorite dress that morning, one with a clown adorning the skirt part. Squeezing him tightly, she turned a beaming face to him. "Tony made them stop, Daddy."

"Be quiet, Abby!" Tony ordered swiftly, slipping out of his own chair and hurrying to clear his dishes.

Kate joined in, aligned with her brother on this issue. "You don't know what you're talking about, so be quiet for once."

Abby stamped her foot, angry that her siblings had spoken to her in such ugly tones. She spun around to Tim. "Tell Daddy, Timmy. Tell Daddy that Tony hurt them."

Tony groaned out loud then, his mind already jumping to his dad punishing him and having his anticipated Saturday fun suddenly compromised.

Kate turned an angry stare on her little sister. "Thanks a lot, Tattletale."

"Don't call me names!" Abby demanded, leveling a smack to her sister's hand.

Kate smacked right back, and Gibbs hurriedly intervened, voicing his displeasure at their behavior, then escorting both to time out. When he returned to the kitchen, his two boys had begun to silently clear the lunch remains.

He glanced at his oldest, who pretended to be busy.

"Tim, go start on your chores," he ordered, pointing towards the laundry room where the child had towels to fold.

The little fellow studied his father nervously, but glancing at his older brother, took a breath and spoke with conviction. "Daddy, Tony protected me. Now no one messes with me at all now because they know he will guard me. They are scared of Tony."

Gibbs rubbed the bridge of his nose. "Go do what I said."

"But Daddy…"

"Did you hear me? If I have to repeat myself you will be in big trouble, young man, and I can tell you it will involve you being spanked across my lap."

Tim scurried off at that.


	7. Brothers

Brothers

Gibbs regarded Tony, who quietly began loading dishes into the dishwasher. He pulled out the dishwasher soap and then addressed his son in his no nonsense tone.

"Why didn't I know anything about you and these boys?"

Tony looked up and saw the set of his dad's jaw, then dropped his eyes.

Gibbs prodded, "I want an answer, and it had better be the truth."

Tony straightened his shoulders, and Jethro felt a flash of pride that his son had such pronounced inner strength. "You did not hear about it because I knew I would be in trouble for getting into fights."

Gibbs absorbed that piece of honesty.

Tony took a breath. "The bus driver just fussed at me and said he would report me if it happened again, and what happened on the playground was by the basketball court, and the teachers didn't see."

Several seconds passed in silence before Gibbs prodded, "I'm waiting for the rest, Tony."

He looked down. "I know. Okay, I found out that before my class got dismissed to the bus in the afternoons Michael was teasing and making fun of Tim when he sat down. He even made him cry a couple of times. Then my class got to go board early one afternoon and when I got inside there was Michael in Tim's face. I shoved him over the seat and pinned him down on the floor, then made him apologize to Tim. When the bus driver got back there Michael was crying like a little girl."

Tony smiled at that remembrance, then quickly sobered at his dad's expression.

"Finish," Jethro demanded, leaning against one of the kitchen counters.

"The playground thing, uhm, well, it turns out that Sean's class passes Tim's class a couple of times a day going to lunch and to the restrooms. Then on Fridays Tim's class comes inside from the playground when Sean's class is going outside. Kate told me that Sean had it in for Tim and had been mean to him, so then I asked Tim about it at home and he said that was true."

Tony looked at his father to gauge his progress and his father's reaction before he continued, licking his lips.

"Ok, I started making Timmy practice some moves to protect himself, and then the next Friday I got my teacher to let me go to the bathroom. I didn't go there, though, but I went out to the playground to find Tim. I pulled him back when it was time to go and his class lined up and headed back to their room. We were waiting at the basketball court when Sean and his buddies got there."

Gibbs had a mental picture of his baby boy facing a bully and felt himself cringe. "Was Tim afraid?"

"Yes sir," Tony answered at once, "but I put my arm around him and told him he had me with him. I was there, and I had his six."

Gibbs bit the side of his cheek to counteract the flood of emotion that hit him.

"I made Tim confront him, and when Tim stopped speaking, Sean went over and pushed him. I was proud of him, 'cause Tim managed to stay on his feet like I taught him. So I jumped in front of Timmy then and shoved Sean to the ground. Then we started fighting and I bloodied his nose."

Tony preened a second.

"I didn't have any blood at all. When it was finished, I got up off of him and told him he would be sorry if he every bothered Tim again."

"And…" Gibbs prodded.

"We cleaned up some in the bathroom and then went back to class. I told Tim to tell the teacher he hadn't heard her call them in from the playground, so that was why he was late."

Gibbs processed the conclusion. "So you and Kate and Tim decided to keep all of this a secret."

"Right, because we didn't want to get into trouble, Dad. Tim must have told Abby, though," the little boy replied honestly.

Jethro regarded his oldest. "Why did you do it, Tony?"

Tony looked bewildered at the query, "He's my brother, Daddy."

That was that, then. Gibbs took a deep breath and leaned over to tousle his son's hair. He waited until he had his emotions under control.

"I am very proud that you are looking out for your brother, Son, very proud, and I want you- all four of you- to always be there for each other."

"Okay, Dad."

"You are not in trouble for defending your brother, but I am not happy that you slipped out of class and had Tim do so, too, and then you both were dishonest."

Tony looked down at the floor and kicked the toe of his shoe against one of the tiles.

Jethro continued, "You will not be going outside at all tomorrow as a punishment. When you are at school I expect you to stay with your teacher, and not where you decide to go. Do you understand?"

"I do."

"If I ever hear of you not telling the truth again you will find it very uncomfortable to sit down, because I will spank your bottom. I have no tolerance for lying."

Tony nodded in confirmation, and Gibbs leaned over and softly kissed the top of his head. "Now I need to deal with your brother."

Tony shook his head emphatically. "Dad, please, no, this really was all me. Tim tried and tried to follow his teacher inside but I made him come with me. He didn't know what I was going to do."

Gibbs pulled Tony to him then, and the child buried his head in his father's stomach, taking comfort in his parent's strength. Jethro rubbed his back softly and reflected on all that his little boy had confided. "All right, Tony, I will let Tim slide this time."

A couple of months later Jethro recalled that conversation in detail as he stood on the street side of his backyard, scanning the area for Tim and Abby. Despite the rule that his two babies were not to leave the fenced backyard they had done so, without either his knowledge or his permission.

His heart began to race as he envisioned his youngest crossing busy streets of traffic and getting hopelessly lost. They were each so tiny, way too small to be trusted anywhere unsupervised.

His stomach fell- no, more like crashed. A wave of fear cascaded over him.

He jogged to the corner of the street, scanning all directions for a sign of the miscreants. No one appeared in his sights.

Gibbs willed himself to stay calm and think rationally. He turned and hurried into the house, going through each room again to make sure they were not quietly playing indoors.

They were not there. They were nowhere.


	8. Parental Behavior

Parental Behavior

He threw the front door open and raced to the street, calling loudly for both Tim and Abby.

A couple of neighbors heard him and made their way to him, ready to help. He filled them in quickly, and the other two adults took off in opposite directions to search.

Gibbs wiped his mouth, his heart pounding loudly in his chest, and felt the fear actually weaken his knees. His babies were in harm's way, and he could not protect them.

Tony and two of his friends suddenly appeared as they raced their bikes around one of the street corners.

Recognizing his father standing in the middle of the street Tony stood up on the pedals and pumped furiously to get to Jethro.

He skidded to a stop, out of breath, and his dad quickly explained the situation and told him to think of anyplace his younger siblings could have gone.

Tony regarded his father. "Daddy, stay here. I'll go down the street and start really looking."

Gibbs shook his head no, but Tony, suddenly far more mature than his eight years, responded firmly. "You need to be here in case they call. I'll go look."

He did not wait for a response but motioned to his friends and pedaled down the street.

Gibbs raced back inside the house and grabbed the phone, dialing frantically. Kate had gone to a friend's to play, and he phoned there and summoned her home.

She came at once, afraid at the sudden upheaval of plans, and Jethro grabbed her to him.

Once Gibbs filled her in on the details she grabbed his hand and squeezed. "Don't worry, Dad. I might have an idea where they went."

Gibbs grabbed her by the shoulders, "Tell me, Honey!"

"Ok, on the way from school the other day Christopher, who lives a couple of streets that way, was talking to us about all of the kittens his cat had. Abby got really excited, and wanted to get off at Christopher's stop, but Tony told her no and made her go sit with him. She told Tony he had better quit telling her what to do, but he said she had better get her butt over to his seat right then, and she did. She was mad, though."

For the first time in almost an hour, Gibbs breathed a sigh of relief. "Do you remember where Christopher lives?"

"Of course, Daddy," Kate grinned, pointing in Christopher's direction.

"Stay here and do not move from the yard," Gibbs ordered, already heading towards the street where Christopher's kittens resided.

The frantic father had not gotten half a block before he saw Tony and his friends rounding the corner, all walking beside their bicycles. Narrowing his eyes, Gibbs realized they had Tim and Abby walking in the middle of the group. When the little ones saw him they broke away from their rescuers and raced to their father, who stooped down and grabbed them.

A few minutes later the entire family entered the house, after Jethro had thanked all of the neighbors for their help. He felt drained, absolutely exhausted of emotional energy after the terror of not knowing where his children were.

Kate whispered to Tony, "Someone's in for a spanking."

The little ones overheard.

Abby and Tim regarded him with wide eyes.

Evidently Kate's words had carried, and they grasped that they were in a lot of trouble. Gibbs ordered them upstairs to the girls' room, but they obeyed sluggishly, hoping they could avoid any consequences.

Abby sat down on the landing and peered down the steps, while Tim paused, but then did as he father said. Jethro held up a finger and pointed towards the bedroom and Abby's face crumpled. She obeyed, however.

He started supper in an attempt to calm down, then ten minutes after they ascended, he followed.

The two sat side by side on the window seat, legs dangling, and Tim with his arm around his baby sister. Gibbs felt his heart swell with love for the little beings, but a second later he recalled the reason they waited.

He straightened his shoulders and willed himself to not fold to their cute faces.

He sat down on the end of the bed and faced them, propping his arms on his knees. "Both of you look at Daddy right now."

They did, and Tim's lower lip began to wobble.

"I am upset with both of you because you disobeyed me and left the backyard, then went down the street and to someone's house, which you know is not allowed. You did not have my permission for any of that. You did not have my permission for a single second of that."

Tim's bottom lip trembled more violently, and Abby's eyes filled with tears. She smoothed the bottom of her dress and turned to frown at her brother.

Jethro continued. "You scared me. I did not know where to find you, or if you were hurt, and you know how much Daddy loves you. The neighbors stopped what they were doing to help find you, and Kate and Tony quit their playing to help search."

Tim wiped his eyes across his arm and spoke softly, "We are sorry, Daddy."

Abby pulled her knees up against her chest and rested her chin on her legs. She tilted her head towards her father. "We just wanted to see the kitties. They were itty bitty, Daddy, and I held one. Christopher said it was all right."

Jethro used all of his strength to remain firm with the little sinners, cute as they were. He pinched the bridge of his nose.

Those two were just adorable, even when in trouble and facing his wrath.

He cleared his throat and hardened his voice. "Did you ask for permission to leave the yard?"

Tim shook his head.

"Do I allow you to leave the yard by yourselves, either of you, at any time?"

Tim whispered, "Uh uh."

"All right, do I allow you to open the back gate on your own- ever?"

"No, Daddy," Abby answered, swinging her legs from side to side.

"That is correct. Now, because you have disobeyed me and unlatched the gate and left the yard, you will not get to play outside all week. No swingset, no treehouse, no anything-"

"We are sorry," Tim ventured hurriedly at the loss, trying to grasp the fact that he had barely gotten to use the magnifying glass he had been given by Ducky. The older man had showed him how to use it to study ants and bugs outdoors. Now he could not finish examining a chipmunk hole he had found a couple of hours before.

Jethro looked the tiny beings over carefully, taking note of their stricken expressions. They definitely appeared remorseful. "Yes, I know both of you are very sorry now, but I am going to punish you for what you did this afternoon. Now, you will not be allowed in the back again for a whole week because you left your yard without permission."

He stopped abruptly and directed a reassuring look at his son. "We will mark on the calendar in the kitchen when you can go out back to play again."

Tim nodded with relief.

Jethro continued speaking, his resolve firm. "Both of you are getting spankings, though, for actually going to someone's house without permission, and for going to the next block without asking me."


	9. Siblings

Siblings

"I don't want a spanking," Abby assured him immediately, tears already beginning to bead her lashes and spill. "I'm sorry, Daddy." She slid off the seat and hurried over to lean on his legs.

"I do not need one either," Tim agreed, nodding seriously. "I already learned my lesson just now without the spanking."

Gibbs stood up and contradicted them. "You need one, all right, because what you did today was a really big deal. If you ever think about walking away from this house again I want you to remember that you got your bottoms blistered when you did it today."

He reached down and swung Tim off of the seat, set him on the floor, and pointed across the hall. "Go wait in your room."

The little boy obeyed quickly, turning once to give his sister a sympathetic glance.

Left alone, Abby immediately began to cry dramatically, but her father did not change his mind.

Gibbs picked up his baby and then set her in front of him, regarding her at arm's length for a few seconds.

She was his little ray of sunshine, a bubbling people person who crawled up in her dad's lap at every opportunity.

He spoke quickly as he sat down on the foot of the bed and pulled her across his lap, sliding her Tinker Bell panties down and dress up in one quick movement.

"This spanking is because you left without permission, Abby, and went somewhere you are not allowed to go."

It was difficult to hold her steady, with Abby trying to slide from his grasp, but he managed to deliver five smacks to her naked bottom. Her howls of protest and tears erupted in a volley, and he sat with her across his lap until she calmed some.

He adjusted her clothing then and put her down, but grasped her chin in his hands. She regarded him miserably.

"I know that hurt, Honey, but spankings always feel that bad. You never, never, never leave without permission from Daddy or you will get your rear end blistered again. Now, you stay in your room in time out until I call you for supper."

She sniffed dramatically and nodded, rubbing her eyes and watching as he crossed the hall to deal with her brother.

Tim had already worked himself into a flood of tears, having heard evidence of his sister's punishment.

Nevertheless, Jethro gave Tim the same spiel that he had given Abby, reiterating the danger that they had skirted.

His little boy reassured him in an effort to avoid the punishment, "You are right, Daddy, and we know better than to leave without permission. That was not wise to do."

Gibbs regarded him and could not stop s small smile at the child's serious expression and somber tone. Tim's face took on a hopeful look, and Gibbs felt a surge of affection when the little boy wrinkled his nose, highlighting the couple of freckles there.

"Maybe you don't need to spank me 'cause I already know what I did wrong, Daddy."

Gibbs sat down on the bed and motioned the child to him. "No, you earned the spanking, Son. Get your clothes off of your bottom now."

Tim stood frozen, hoping that his father would reconsider.

Jethro did not wait. Pulling Tim over his lap, he deftly slid down Timmy's shorts and Superman underwear.

The six year old did not try to squirm away, but attempted to shield his rear end with his hands instead. Jethro stripped that last shred of protection, and as he had with Abby, delivered five stinging smacks to his child's bare bottom.

He held his son afterwards until the sobbing was replaced with shuddery, shaky breaths, then he stood him before him. He adjusted Tim's clothes and ordered him to stay in timeout in his room until he was called.

Nodding, Tim watched him leave, rubbing his bottom and shifting from foot to foot to alleviate some of the residual sting.

The family enjoyed a quiet supper that night, thanks to Abby's lack of chatter and Tim's near silence. After everyone helped clean the dishes and table, Tony and Kate exchanged glances with each other, and Tony motioned towards the living room.

Gibbs stood back to watch what they would do. Tony went to Abby, and Kate to Tim, and they ushered the younger ones into the living room.

When Gibbs went to get Abby for bath time a few minutes later, all four were lined up on the floor in front of the television, chins resting on their hands. He stood there several seconds marveling at the complexities of the sibling relationship. He, himself, had been an only child. It amazed him that despite the fact that normally all of his kids tried to get each other in trouble, when one- or two, for that matter, actually did get a spanking, the others converged to comfort and sympathize.

Those were his children.

The next weekend he sat patiently with other parents at the Tiny Tiara Dance Studio where Kate and Abby took weekly lessons.

Tim sat sedately in one corner of the reception room away from the other waiting children, and focused on the dinosaur book Santa had given him last Christmas.

Tony had joined other brothers of tiny dancers in the field beside the studio, where an impromptu game of football had raged. As usual, he led the game.

Gibbs got up and leaned down to tousle Tim's hair, then walked outside and stretched as he located Tony amongst the group of boys playing, or rather Tony lay tackled at the bottom of the heap.

When the others piled off he jumped up and grinned, holding the football aloft, "I do believe that's a first down, Boys!"

Jethro waved him over, and Tony set the football down in the grass and jogged to him.

"Did you see, Dad?"

Gibbs smiled at his son's excitement. Tony was a born athlete, evidenced even from the cradle.

He wiped a smear of dirt off the child's cheek and Tony squirmed and glanced back at his friends. He certainly did not want the group to think that their star teammate had to have his daddy clean his face.

"I did, and you looked great. It's time to stop playing now, though."

Tony immediately switched his smile and happy tone of voice to a pout and a whine. "Dad, I just got to play a minute ago!"

"That's not exactly correct, it's been almost an hour. Anyway, go inside to the restroom and wash your face and hands. Well- wash well, because I want you clean. You know we've been invited to supper at the Mallards."

"I don't want to go. Just let me stay here, Daddy," Tony argued.


	10. Abby

Abby

Gibbs raised his eyebrows and spoke patiently. "Tony, I know you want to play some more, but time is up now. Your sisters will be finished with class any minute. You had a nice hour outside playing football with the others, but now it is time to go."

"Call me when they get finished. There is no reason at all why I can't still be playing." Tony's plea managed to sound like more of an annoying whine.

Gibbs turned and started back inside, then announced ominously over his shoulder, "If you are not standing in front of me with a clean face and hands when classes end, you will not watch any television tonight."

Tony scowled at the announcement and kicked at a mound of dirt, but a minute after the older Gibbs went inside, he slipped through the door behind him.

Little Abby burst through the door of her classroom and skipped to her father, throwing her arms up for a hug and kiss. Gibbs laughed and swung her, then set her down with a flourish. She jumped up and down and swung from his arm as they watched the classroom doors and waited for Kate to finish.

"Hey, why don't you go on in the restroom by yourself and change out of your leotard?" he suggested. "You can go ahead and put on your own clothes without waiting for Kate."

Abby stopped bouncing and regarded him shrewdly, then grinned, showing the huge gap that used to house her two top teeth.

"Can you do it, Baby? Can you get dressed the whole way all by yourself?"

"Ok, where are my clothes?"

Gibbs hurried back to his seat and located her dance bag, then handed it over to her and pointed to the bathroom.

She slung it on her shoulder by the strap, then began hitting her palm against the plastic to make a noise.

He watched her bounce off and push open the restroom door, and then called out quickly, "Abby, go tee tee also."

She grinned in reply.

Tony came out of the other restroom, his shirt and pants splashed liberally with wet stains, wet but clean, and approached his father with a pout and scowl. "Ok, I'm clean now and we are not even ready to go. You could have let me play some more. This is not fair."

Gibbs pointed to where Tim sat scrunched over his book. "Go sit over there with Tim."

"Why have I got to sit with him?"

"I told you to do that, and that is why."

"I don't even want to go to Ducky's," Tony muttered under his breath, turning to regard Tim, and then reluctantly doing what his father said.

Gibbs watched him go and headed in the opposite direction to locate Kate. The class door stood wide open and the rest of the little girls had already departed.

He peeped inside and found his oldest daughter slipping off her ballet shoes. She smiled when she saw him and he grinned in return. "Hey, Daddy, I am almost ready."

"No problem," he acknowledged, thinking to himself that she had inborn poise and a natural grace.

Her teacher, a middle aged woman who had once danced for the Bolshoi Ballet, came to speak with him.

"Agent Gibbs, your daughter is a natural at ballet. She possesses such poise and grace for one so young, and more self discipline than I have seen in many years."

"Thank you, Madame Olga, I was just thinking those exact thoughts. She genuinely loves your class. I agree, though, that she is a natural."

Kate interrupted, smiling shyly at both for the compliments, and he kissed her cheek and motioned her towards the restroom.

She returned within a couple of minutes, having brushed her hair and changed into a green sundress and sandals. Her packed ballet bag was clutched in her arms.

Gibbs, who stood with Tim and a still pouting Tony by the door, asked hurriedly, "Where's your sister? She went in a good five minutes before you."

"Playing, Dad- I told her to come on but she started singing the eensy beensy spider song and put her hands over her ears."

"See," Tony muttered, "I could have been outside playing all this time."

"Go tell her I said to get dressed and get out here," Jethro ordered, pointing at the bathroom.

Kate did as he bid her, but came back frowning. "She said for me to leave her alone and quit bossing her."

Gibbs took a deep breath. "Who else is in the bathroom?"

"Nobody, Daddy."

"Are you positive? No other girls are in there?"

"Yes sir."

He turned to regard the three of them. "All of you sit down on that bench and don't move," he ordered.

Kate and Tim started for the seats. Tony rolled his eyes as he began to walk, and Gibbs called sharply for him to return. Leaning down he tapped under Tony's chin and promised, "If you keep acting the way you have been the past half hour, you will be over my lap for a spanking later."

He did not wait for an acknowledgement from his oldest, but moved to the restroom, where he knocked softly.

No one responded.

He opened the door slowly and caught his reflection in the mirror over the lavatory. Then he saw his baby.

Abby, in tights and shoes and nothing else, lay on her stomach across the sink counter, playing with a small puppy figurine and singing softly.

Jethro smiled in spite of himself.

She looked up when the door shut behind him and moved to sit crosslegged on the counter. "I want to stay here."

He shook his head. "No, remember that we are going to the Mallards, and you should have already gotten on your clothes."

Jethro located her stack of clothing in a heap beside her ballet bag. He quickly sorted and set everything on the other side of the counter.

"Stand up," he spoke softly, pausing a second to plant a quick kiss on her nose.

She did, and he managed to get her little dress over her as she danced on the counter, singing to the plastic dog she moved through the air. Her green dress had patterns of red apples across the hem, and Abby loved it, and made the dog light on one of the apples before flying again through the air.

She held onto her father's shoulders as he pulled off her shoes and tights, and he told her to sit on the counter while he rummaged impatiently through her belongings.

Finally he regarded her in confusion. "I can't find your panties, Honey."

Abby swung her legs but stopped singing to reassure him. "That's because I didn't wear them, Daddy."


	11. Kate

Kate

Shocked, Jethro sputtered, "But we put them out last night with your clothes for today."

"I know," she grinned up at him. "I am not going to wear white panties any more. I am only going to wear pink panties now. We can buy some at the store."

"Abby, you can not run around without panties just because you don't care for the color! Now, you are going to get into big trouble if you do that again. I expect you to put on all of your clothes when you get dressed. Do you understand me? This had better not happen again."

Like Tony, Abby had a practiced pout, which she utilized for dramatic purposes.

Gibbs remained firm, however. "I want an answer from you right now."

He buckled her sandal straps.

"Ok," she scowled, and he swung her onto the floor as he finished stuffing her belongings into the bag.

Taking a deep breath, he reached for the door handle. "Let's go, then."

"Daddy, I have to tee tee." Huge green eyes regarded him, and he fought to grab his last reserve of patience.

Lifting her, he set her down on the toilet as he spoke, "I could have sworn this is what I sent you in here to do a half hour ago."

A bit more savvy after having four kids, his senses alerted him to impending trouble, and he grabbed his little girl's hand as she gave the toilet paper roll a good spin, stopping the layers from falling in mid flight. He hastily tore off a couple of sheets and gave them to her. "Wipe, and hurry."

Less than a minute later her hands were washed and he carried her on one hip, motioning her siblings to follow as they headed to the car. Buckling her into her seat, he checked Tim at the same time, and watched as Kate and Tony followed with their own restraints.

"Dad, Tony called me a snuffleupagus," Tim reported, voice laden with hurt.

Gibbs cranked the car and glanced in the rearview mirror as he pulled out of the dance studio's parking lot.

"A what?"

"Snuffleupagus, Dad," Kate contributed, pressing her face against the window.

"I don't know what that is."

"You do, Daddy, you do!" Abby assured him. "On Bert and Ernie and Oscar and Cookie Monster-"

"Aah," realization dawned with the Gunny. "Now, I know."

"It hurt my feelings," Tim explained.

"Tony's being mean," Kate diagnosed, turning to stick her tongue out at him.

"Nobody asked you, so be quiet!" responded her brother.

Tim continued, "He said I was a wimpy snuffleupagus because I wouldn't play outside with him."

"Don't call anyone names any more," Jethro commanded, making eye contact in his mirror.

"Right, are you stupid?" Kate giggled.

"You're the stupid one," Tony countered.

"Tony's calling names, Daddy," Abby tattled.

"Ok, Tony, you are not allowed to speak again until we get to the Mallards, not one word. Understand?"

"Fine with me," Tony grumbled, leaning his forehead against the window and watching the scenery pass.

"Now when we get to the Mallards in a few minutes, I expect all of you to be on your best behavior."

"Why can't we just act like we always do, Daddy?" Tim asked.

"Just once I would like you all to have good conduct the entire visit- not just part."

After that observation, the younger three children chatted until they drove up at the Mallard residence.

Once he parked in the circular drive, all four raced into the house, trying to be the first to get to Mrs. Mallard and Ducky. Up on the porch, though, one of the corgis had gotten loose and he came around the corner barking. Tim shrieked and doubled back, throwing himself at Gibbs. The other three went on indoors, not afraid, and Jethro shifted Tim to one hip and entered himself, giving Victoria a quick kiss on the cheek and smiling at Ducky.

"I hope we're not too late."

"You are just in time," Victoria smiled. Kate grabbed her hand, and the elderly woman added, "Did you have trouble?"

"Nothing unusual, no," Gibbs assured her. "One has no panties, one is about to get spanked, another is afraid of the dogs, and the fourth-" He gave Kate an appraising look, "and the fourth received a glowing review from her ballet teacher today."

Victoria smiled and rubbed Kate's cheek. "All right, my dear, after supper you and I shall go have some fun."

Supper was wonderful, as it always was with the Mallards, and all four children asked for seconds. After helping with the clean up, Tony ran outside, where he was teaching two of the corgis to fetch. Abby joined him, but decided to swing in the tire swing Ducky had hung for the kids from one of the massive oaks. Kate disappeared inside with Victoria and Tim dragged Ducky to the library to locate a book on the constellations Ducky had.

Gibbs sat on the back porch in a wicker rocker, his feet propped on the rail as he watched his oldest and youngest outdoors. They were as naturally exuberant and outgoing as his middle two were inherently reticent.

"Daddy," Kate's excited voice startled him, and he sat up straight as she came into his view. Victoria had given her free reign of trunks of vintage clothing to find play clothes, and Kate had selected a simple maroon crushed velvet hat with a luxurious feather attached, and a dress overlaid with ecru lace. Kate had both dainty hands wrapped in the skirt, gathering it up enough to allow her to walk.

Victoria stood against the doorframe smiling, and directed, "Now show your father how you will walk at Ascot, Lady Caitlin."

Kate slid one hand across the porch rail as she strolled sedately from him almost the entire length of the porch, then pirouetted and floated back to his chair.

She tossed her head to the side and his breath caught as he realized a future glimpse of what a beautiful, poised, stunning young woman his daughter would be.

His throat constricted and he coughed quickly. "Beautiful, Baby- you look gorgeous."

She giggled, "I'm a lady, Daddy, not gorgeous."

"Aah, but you are so gorgeous you will make all the other ladies jealous at Ascot."

She curtseyed then, nodded sedately to Mrs. Mallard, and left to go indoors.

Victoria eyed him appraisingly. "You look tired, Jethro. Why don't you leave the children here tonight? Go home and get some rest."

Before he could answer Tim hurried out clutching a thick volume Ducky had found for him. "Look, Daddy, look at all these constellations in the book! When it's dark Ducky's going to help me find them in his telescope."


	12. Kin by Default

Kin by Default

He hurriedly climbed onto his father's lap, little legs dangling, and Gibbs had to grab hold of the large book so that his son did not topple and could point out some of the starry patterns. He kissed the top of Tim's blond head as the child narrated, and the little boy scooted back until his back rested squarely against his father.

Ducky appeared at the doorway and smiled at Tim's obvious excitement.

Tony and Abby still played within sight, and Gibbs noted that Abby had kicked off her sandals and was climbing to the top of the tire and towards the rope part of the tire swing.

He called out hastily, "Abby! Get back down and sit in the tire, not on top of it."

She stopped climbing and looked disappointed, but did as he asked.

Ducky echoed Victoria's observation. "You look tired, my friend. Let the children stay with us tonight and you go take a night to yourself."

Tim stopped chattering to add his sentiment, "Good, now I can stay and see the stars tonight!"

"Four are too much trouble," Jethro worried aloud.

"Nonsense," Victoria contradicted, "they've stayed with us many times. You know they have toys and clothes here. They will be perfectly fine."

He rubbed the bridge of his nose, considering the offer. "How about I split them with you?"

Ducky laughed at that. "It sounds like you are talking about a pizza."

Jethro set Tim down on the porch floor and stood up himself, handing the little boy the treasured book. "Are you sure you'll be all right to stay, Big Boy?"

"Yes, Daddy, I'm six now," Tim assured him seriously.

"I will miss you, though."

"I will miss you, too, Daddy."

Kate appeared in another modeled ensemble, and when told the plan, begged to stay, as well. Gibbs agreed, and a few minutes later, collected Abby and Tony and headed home with half his offspring.

Abby had enjoyed her visit, and had managed to cover herself in a layer of dirt. Back home he inspected her hair and discovered sand and dirt all over her scalp.

In exasperation he asked, "Did you dump dirt in your hair, Honey?"

She grinned, "a whole bunch, Daddy. I got some in my dress, too."

His baby answered so honestly that he could not help but laugh. "Okay, go right upstairs. You have to get bathed, and tonight you need a good bath."

"Okey dokey, Daddy Pokey," she obeyed, then crawled up the stairs, imitating a puppy. When she reached the top she called down impatiently. "Come on, I already got upstairs."

Gibbs assured her he was right behind her and went to find Tony. The child had gone straight to the television and powered it on, and was ensconced in front of the screen.

"Hey, go upstairs to my bathroom and take your bath before you watch tv."

Tony sighed dramatically. "I just turned it on, Dad, and now I want to see this show."

Gibbs shook his head. "Nope, no television until you have bathed and gotten on your pajamas. Get moving-"

He turned and made his way upstairs, focusing on taking care of his baby. She had stripped off her dress by the time he joined her. He hurriedly began the bath water, slipping her in and bathing her quickly, then tackling the shampooing and rinsing of her hair.

Once the necessities were done he leaned against the counter and just watched her play. Abby possessed an incredible imagination, and he always enjoyed her play time.

After a couple of minutes of observation he realized that he could hear the television playing. Moving to the landing he called down firmly, "Tony, get up here right this minute and take your bath or there will not be a television in your future tonight."

Hearing that, Tony appeared at the bottom of the stairs with a scowl.

Jethro went back to Abby, finally removing her from the tub and then drying her.

He carried her to her room wrapped in a towel, which he held like a sling and swung as he moved. She laughed delightedly, and he got her into her nightie and then brushed her hair before allowing her to go downstairs.

He paused in the hall, making sure that he heard water being drawn in his own bathroom.

He did, so he quickly straightened the other bath and grabbed Abby's dirty clothes.

Before he went downstairs he headed into his own room, calling out to Tony to wash his hair as well.

"I was already going to do that, could you give me a chance without giving me all these stupid directions?" came the annoyed reply.

Gibbs did not even pause but stalked straight into his own bathroom, where Tony was already stripped and had just finished filling the tub.

Without a word he yanked Tony against him and delivered a much deserved, painful spanking to that young man's backside. Taken by surprise, Tony tried to squirm away, but his daddy held him firmly. By the third smack he gave up trying to escape, resigning himself to his father's unyielding grasp.

Tony's outrage at the ambush turned quickly to begging for a reprieve between sobs, followed by promises of no more bad behavior or back talk. Nevertheless, his dad's calloused hand came down again and again on the little boy's very exposed bottom.

Jethro stood where he was when he finished, waiting for Tony's sobs to slow and turn to sniffs.

Then he tilted Tony's chin so that the child made eye contact with his father.

Tears still cascaded down Tony's face, however.

Jethro brushed the boy's bangs back and offered him a tissue. "Blow your nose."

Tony did, and Jethro spoke softly. "You have spent the entire day earning that spanking, Son. I know that it hurt, but I also know that you deserved every single bit of unpleasantness. You used up all of your chances for a reprieve when you kept up your disrespect and not treating your brother and sisters nicely. I promise you that if you repeat your actions of today I will repeat this spanking. Furthermore, if I see any trace of your bad attitude left, I am going to tear your bottom up again tonight. Is that clear?"

Tony hastily assured him he understood.


	13. Tim

Tim

Jethro softened his tone. "Ok, hop in that tub right this minute, get bathed, and wash your hair. You will be going straight to bed afterwards."

The loss of television added to the little boy's misery, but he nodded in acceptance.

Jethro gave him a grin and watched as his son did as he was told.

Gibbs sat down on the toilet lid, stretched his legs, and watched Tony as he had Abby. As soon as he pronounced the child's body and hair clean he let him play, and Tony, despite his claims to be above those little kid activities like his siblings, created an intricate boatyard with several of the toys kept by the side of his dad's tub.

Soon Tony would not have to have his father help bathe him at anytime, and Gibbs knew this. He dreaded the day he lost those sweet, quiet moments with all four of his kids, when they would turn into independent entities who could finally take care of themselves.

Abby appeared at the doorway, rubbing her eyes, and she headed straight for her father. Without a word, she crawled into his lap and scooted until she had made a little nest. Gibbs kissed the top of her head, then stood slowly.

"Go ahead and get out, Son," he directed, then whispered to Abby, "tell your brother good night."

"Night, Tony," she responded, and he blew her a kiss.

He cut the light off in her room a few minutes later. She had fallen asleep almost the same time that he tucked her into the covers.

Tony met him in the hall, clad in his pajamas and ready for bed as well.

Gibbs joined him, and sat on the side of Tony's bed as they went through the bedtime routine they had practiced for eight years.

Tony's eyes were nearly shut when he cut off the light.

Lying in bed that night his mind wandered to his middle children, and the satisfaction that they gave him. Abby and Tony did a great job of teaching him patience, but Kate and Tim never ceased to surprise him.

Nearly a month before he and Tim had spent a fantastic day together at NCIS.

The child had gotten sick to his stomach before breakfast, so Gibbs sent the others to school without him. However, that seemed to be the end of Tim's discomfort, so Gibbs decided to go ahead to the agency, and to take his younger son with him.

The little boy loved it, reveling in the fact that he had Jethro all to himself for an entire day. At home he often fell into the background while Abby and Tony grabbed the spotlight.

He adored his father, and could not hide his excitement.

The morning passed with Tim perched underneath his father's desk, where he had created a hideout. From that angle he kept an all encompassing view of the immediate area, and he carefully wrote down observations of what he saw. Periodically he tugged at his father's leg and when Gibbs leaned down, he confided his latest surveillance information with a serious expression.

At lunch Gibbs realized how much he enjoyed having some alone time with his third child. Bookish and interested in theoretical issues, the little fellow would never be designated "all boy" as his older brother was. Nevertheless, though shy about joining groups or meeting strangers, in the past couple of months he appeared to be coming out of his shell a bit.

Tim squirmed in his booster seat, grinning broadly when the waitress asked if he had skipped school. His breath hissed through the gap of a recently lost lower tooth as he answered excitedly, "No, my daddy said I could just stay with him because he wants time with me all by myself."

Jethro nodded his agreement.

Seeing the waitress processing the fact that she had a father who condoned truancy in her section, Jethro quickly clarified the situation, "He was a bit queasy this morning, and I didn't want him to get on the bus or to school and get sick."

She accepted that explanation, and won Tim's heart when she promised him a slice of peanut butter pie after his meal.

"I will eat that, because it has peanut butter," he assured her delightedly. "I like peanut butter, and I really like peanut butter cookies."

She tapped him on the head with her pencil. "One piece of pie for my peanut butter fan."

Winking at him, she left.

He sat back and regarded his father, holding out his arms to embellish his thoughts. "Daddy, when I get big like you I am going to take an oxygen tank and calculate how I can change it to hold some type of fuel."

Jethro took a swallow of coffee and raised his eyebrows. "Is that so?"

"Right, and then I will attach straps to it." Tim demonstrated with his hands again.

Jethro clarified, "Straps to your fuel tank?"

"You understand! Then I will make it so that it can fly me all around. That will be fun." Tim shifted in his seat and looked wistfully up at the ceiling.

His father nodded encouragingly. "It sounds fun, but do you mean fly with the airplanes?"

"No, I mean it will fly me to the store, or to the library, or to school."

Gibbs once again felt a twinge of bewilderment at how this child differed from his siblings.

He smiled at him, then leaned over and kissed him on the forehead. "Will you build me one, then, too?"

"Sure," Tim agreed happily, squirming again in his seat. "I'll make one for everybody I love."

The waitress brought their meals, and after half an hour, Tim's anticipated dessert. The little boy dove in with gusto, and Gibbs leaned over, "You remind me of your brother right now."

"Tony's tough," Tim contradicted quietly, evidently not understanding the comparison.

Gibbs leaned over and wiped Tim's mouth with a napkin. "You have some things in common with Tony, and you have some differences, too."

"Oh," Tim concluded, then added, "That's already a fact, Daddy. Remember that Santa got me that book on DNA last Christmas and I learned a bunch."

Gibbs laughed out loud.

The rest of the afternoon flew, and Jethro kept Tim busy running inter departmental errands. He was such a serious, responsible child that his dad had no qualms about sending him through the building unsupervised.

However, the NCIS day came to its inevitable end when Jethro collected his son and headed home to greet his other children as they returned from school. At supper, though, Tim rehashed each glorious detail of his day to such an extent that the others began to clamor for days at the office.


	14. Dynasty

Dynasty

Back in his bed Jethro leaned against the headboard and smiled. That memory would be a cherished one for him.

Coughing interrupted, coughing coming from Tony's room. Jethro worriedly slid out of bed, switching on the lamp. Of all of his children, Tony was must susceptible to a chest or lung infection, and Gibbs had learned through experience to keep a watchful eye on his oldest child's breathing.

Tony lay sprawled across his bed, covers bunched beneath him. Gibbs leaned over the bed and got one arm underneath the child, then used his free hand to gently smack Tony's back. It did not take long before the fit passed, and Gibbs slipped out and then checked his little girl.

She lay on her back, her favorite doll clutched against her and a hand near her mouth, where she had sucked her thumb as she fell asleep.

Finally he returned to his own bed. He eased under the covers once again and concentrated on thinking about Kate, so independent and confident, yet quiet and shyer than her little sister. At seven, she possessed a regal bearing that made her stand out from other children, yet at the same time, she did have friends.

Jethro smiled thinking back to Christmas. Santa had left Kate some fingernail polish in her stocking- which she had begged to have- in a soft pink shade. She had worked very hard to paint her fingernails perfectly, despite Abby yanking on her arm to share, and Tim asking if he could use the polish as a glue substitute for his model rocket, since Santa had forgotten they were almost out of it.

When she finally got her hands finished, she raced into the kitchen where Jethro sat with a cup of coffee and the newspaper. "Daddy, Daddy, look! I'm a grown up person now!" She held her hands out and he raised his eyebrows and whistled before grabbing her and kissing her over and over.

That was how his regal Katie operated.

He did not often have to discipline her, but when she was naughty, she gave it her all!

At the elementary school all of the children attended teachers sent home a weekly conduct report on Fridays. They were a staple of Friday afternoon consultations, since he checked all four each week to monitor the school behavior of his offspring.

With Tony he had a fifty fifty chance of receiving notice that Tony had misbehaved, and Abby was a close second. Tim and Kate, however, rarely had any bad notices.

In fact, when Tim did earn a negative comment he would hand it to his father and then dissolve into tears. Gibbs rarely had to invoke a punishment on him after that.

Kate, though, had brought down the full weight of his wrath just six weeks earlier. She had shown up empty handed, explaining in great detail that her teacher had been absent and did not leave the conduct sheets for the substitute to send home.

Gibbs believed her, and sent her out to play with Tim. Tony's three marks (not following instructions/ playing in the hall/ and passing notes to his current girlfriend) had earned him restriction from playing outdoors and a night without television. Little Abby had lost her outdoors as well, having been cited for talking and singing during instruction time and running down the hall.

The next Tuesday, though, Kate's teacher called to inform him that his eldest daughter had gotten into trouble yet again. Confused, Gibbs asked for clarification and discovered that despite what he had been told, the teacher had sent his little girl home with a conduct sheet the past Friday filled with marks for talking, refusing to follow instructions, and misbehaving in the lunchroom. Further, Kate had evidently picked up where she left off when she returned to school Monday, which is what prompted the teacher to call on Tuesday.

Recovering from the shock, Gibbs assured her that he would take care of the situation.

He waited until homework had been completed and the kids headed outside to play and then called Kate back. She retraced her steps and asked in confusion, "Why can't I go, too, Daddy?"

Gibbs took her hand and led her to the stairs. "You and I are going up to your room, young lady."

The tone of his voice alerted her to the fact that something was amiss. It just took her a couple of steps up the stairs before she connected his directive to her recent behavior.

As soon as they entered her bedroom, he sat her on the bed and pulled up a chair to face her. Across from her he relayed his unhappiness and disappointment over her school behavior and her lying to him.

She started crying before he finished describing the behavior he found lacking, but he hardened his heart to not relent. The fact that she had been dishonest upset him greatly, and he was determined that he would make it difficult for her to make that choice again.

By the time he had her across his lap she was sobbing and trying vainly to protect her backside. Jethro moved her hands away and then methodically smacked her bare rear end again and again until he was satisfied that she had learned her lesson.

He held her until her sobs slowed, and then he ordered her to straighten her clothes and listen to the rest of the punishment.

She slid off his lap still crying, and she cried through the news that she was restricted from the outdoors and from television the entire week.

Her tears continued as he told her he expected her to tell her teacher the next day that she planned to do as the teacher said when the teacher said to do it.

She did not stop crying, in fact, until Tony came in for a bathroom break and saw her curled up dejectedly on the sofa. He went to her at once, sat down and hugged her, then got her to tell him the story.

She did, and Tony listened thoughtfully. Finally he slipped off the couch and spoke quietly. "Katie, you know you earned the spanking and the punishment, so you'd better quit carrying on to make Daddy feel sorry for you. The only thing that's going to get you is a second spanking if you don't stop. Trust me. His tolerance for sniveling and whining disappears very shortly after he busts our butts."

She stopped then, and Tony headed back outside to join Tim and Abby. They had some playtime left before dark.

Another noise stopped Jethro's reminiscing. He listened attentively for a few seconds until he was satisfied that Tony was not coughing again.

Gibbs settled more comfortably under the covers and continued to focus his thoughts on Kate. That week he and she had spent every afternoon together while the other children enjoyed their outdoor fun, and it had actually given them some unforgettable one- on- one time.

For example, he discovered that his daughter had a talent for drawing unshared by the other children. Even he could see that she had talent, and his artistic know how was pretty rudimentary. The next Monday he checked her out of school a while before lunch. The two of them headed to a local art supply store, where he signed an eager Kate up for drawing classes.

After paying the tuition and visiting a French café (Katie's choice) for lunch, the two spent the remainder of the afternoon touring the Smithsonian Museum of Art. Kate stayed mesmerized as they moved from one exhibit to another, and Jethro realized she possessed a shrewd eye for detail as she chatted about each piece.

_**Jethro relaxed against the pillow and closed his eyes. He drifted off to sleep thinking of how much he loved his four babies, and how he would always protect them.**_

The front door slamming jerked him awake, and he hurried to make sense of his surroundings. He was in his house and must have fallen asleep on the sofa.

He sat up slowly, concentrating his focus until he finally remembered.

Ducky had given him a painkiller because he had been injured.

Cautiously he regarded the entry way and focused on the activity.

Tim stood at the front door, holding it open for Kate and Abby, who hurried in with sack after sack of groceries.

Tony jogged up behind him, and Gibbs noticed he carried a box of dvds and a dvd player.

"What's going on here?" he regarded the group in confusion, watching as the girls hurried to the kitchen and Tony and Tim knelt in front of his television.

"Uhm, well, you're sick and we're here to look after you," Abby grinned brightly at him. "Kate and I are making supper."

Kate stopped searching his cabinets for pots and pans long enough to nod in confirmation. "That is correct."

"While they're cooking, Tim and I are getting you set up for some movie entertainment. Right now McEngineer is hooking up the dvd player," Tony smiled at him, and Tim, hooking in cables at the back of the set, peeped around to grin.

Gibbs flopped back against the sofa cushions and closed his eyes.

When he opened them he regarded all of them, the four who were not even looking his way.

Instead, they- Gibbs searched his mind for an appropriate description- they united themselves on this mission.

They did not need his help or his input.

The rationale came to him in a flash, and he could not hide his grin.

They had made themselves at home.


End file.
